You can imagine my delight at finding authentic homestyle Gujarati food in Chennai when all my life Ive been penning love letters to it.And whats more Geetha Mehta, is also well-known for rolling out and neatly packing 1,000 Roti’s & Pickles & Parathas (theplas) for students going abroad. These have a shelf life for a year, are cholesterol-free and yummy too.As though all this wasn’t enough to endear her to me, she also conducts cooking classes.

LOVE LETTER

But first, heres an example of my open love letter to Gujarati food:

“Hu tane prem karu chhu.” I love you for your pristine vegetarian-ness, for your sheer balance of sweet and sour, tangy and bitter, in fact your sophistication and variety of flavors leave me kind of week-kneed. One look at that silver thali beckoning with a myriad dishes, from crunchy farsans to luscious sweets like the curd based shrikhand seduce.The melt-in-the-mouth, slim and silken rolls of besan (khandvi) the steamed, spongy wedges of besan (dhokla) and your winter special “undhio” are irresistible. Especially, the undhio with it’s broad beans, yams, eggplant and more baked in earthenware pots. And that “paunk” (fresh kernels of wheat or millet, eaten with sugar balls) is just poetry in itself. As for that famed Gujarati dahi “kadhi”, I love it most when it is sweetened, like the Surtis like it.

Using only the finest ingredients and “plenty of love” Saurashtra-born Geetha makes the most delightful of authentic Gujarati food (also South and North Indian). Its her unique pumpkin khatta dhokla that I taste at our “Whats hot tasting session”. And dry fruit shrikhand (she makes more than ten flavors, including Cadbury chocolate for kids). Looking for diet options ? Bread Rabri, variety of Shrikhand, Aam Ras and so on
Even her true blue Gujarati pickles unerringly spiced are worth trying. Call and check about her classes, tiffin dabbas and ofcourse the longlasting theplas for taking abroad.

Geeta Mehta

1605, J Block, 9th Street, 15 th Main Road

Chennai

Tamilnadu – 600 040

26164841 and 98400 66263

Recipe

Gujarati Dal

The story is that when a new Gujarati bride is being checked out, the very first and most important test that she must pass is that of making the perfect dal , with just that perfect balance of sweet and tangl. So I requested Geetha for her authentic recipe. Here it is

Ingredients:

Thoor dhal 1 cup

Green Chilli 1

Ginger 1 small piece

Ground nut 1 spoon

Salt to taste

Haldi powder ¼ teaspoon

Chilli Powder ¼ teaspoon

Jaggery small piece

Kokum / Tamarind to taste

Seasoning:

Oil 1 table spoon

Mustard seeds ¼ teaspoon

Methi Dhana ¼ teaspoon

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Curry leaves 4 – 5

Coriander leaves 1 table spoon

Tomato 1

Method

Boil the dhal and separately ground nut. Then, mash nicely, mix the ground nut and keep aside. For seasoning, heat oil and put mustard seeds. Then add asafetida and cut tomatoes. Cut chilli and ginger and add all the remaining ingredients. After frying nicely, add to dhal. Add water as required and boil for 5 to 7 min. Then add coriander leaves.

RECIPE

Khandvi

The perfect snack, silken rolls of khandvi are my favorite and delightful to taste. Light. And healthy roo.

Ingredients:

Sour Butter milk 3 cups

Gram dhal 1 cup

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Ginger chilli paste 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Haldi powder ¼ teaspoon

Seasoning:

Oil 1 table spoon

Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon

Til 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves 10 – 15

Coriander leaves 1 table spoon

Method

Add all ingredients to butter milk and mix well and keep stir on slow flame till it thickens. Pour on individual plates and spread well and let it cool down. Heat oil and mustard seeds, til and curry leaves. Make the poured batter into rolls and cut to smaller pieces. Spread the seasoning on the rolls and sprinkle coriander leaves.